Gerardo Gutierrez
General Information Gerardo Gutierrez was a Dranian politician, philosopher, author, former Governor of Ulbrach Province and former Chairman of the libertarian Grand National Party. From 3271 to 3279, he was the Prime Minister of Dranland. Life He was born in Iglesia Mayor in 3229. After graduating from school, he began studying Philosophy. However, the freedom of thought and speech was heavily restricted at the time of the fascist dictatorship, which led him to the decision to leave his home country and study in Kien, Hulstria. After he finished his studies, he wrote a book called Freedom Over All, in which he condemned the regime in Dranland and called for a 'liberal revolution', a democratic system and free markets. Fearing persecution, he did not dare to return to Dranland until 3242, when the fascists lost the parliamentary majority. During this time, he wrote and published more than 20 books. Back in Dranland, he published a manifesto, in which he philosophically evaluated future perspectives for his country. In the conclusion, he endorsed a liberal system again. Due to this, he soon became a moral authority within the nation. In 3246, he endorsed the Grand National Party and its leader Larissa LeCoultre in the elections, because they promised to liberalize society and the market. In 3250, he published an essay in which he praised the social and economic liberties and the privatizations which LeCoultre and her government had introduced during their tenure. In the essay, he also stood up for capitalism, which he called a "genuinely perfect and flawless economic operating system". In 3254, he ran for Governor of Ulbrach Province as an independent canidate, backed by the GNP. Due to his fame and popularity, he easily won in the first round, winning 66% of the vote. As Governor, he decreased the government's involvement in the economy and society drastically and cut regional spending by 50%. He also reached a budget surplus, which allowed him to abolish several fees, which boosted his already high popularity enormously. Due to his charisma and intellect, he was easily re-elected in 3258, winning 71% of the popular vote. He continued his consolidation course and gave orders to sell public lands to investors to build hotels along the coast to promote tourism. These measures created approximately 5000 jobs, which let him win the elections of 3262 by a crushing margin. In 3266, he ran for Governor again, without a single opponent, because he was considered undefeatable. Four years later, he was elected Chairman of the GNP following the resignation of Prime Minister Luigi Delgado. In the elections of September 3270, he led the GNP to another absolute majority, winning 53% despite the fact that polls had previously predicted heavy losses. On January 1, 3271, he and his cabinet were sworn in by Queen Victoria. At the beginning of its term, his government abolished the minimum income and regulated foreign missionaries more strictly. With his party's absolute majority, he blocked all bills submitted by the main opposition party PDM, of which some also received the support of the GNP's ally, PGR. Gutierrez sought re-election in 3274, his electoral campaign was marked by emphasizing individual liberty and progressive social policies and a heated fight with the PDM. Eventually, the GNP managed to keep its absolute majority, however it had to cope with losses in the regional elections. After dissatisfaction with the political situation among voters grew rapidly during his second term, Gutierrez and the GNP lost the absolute majority in the federal elections of 3278, while voter turnout fell under 40%, which was a disastrous rate. Because he had promised to resign if this situation occured, he stood down as GNP leader in the election night. He was succeded by Marit Jensson, one of his own cabinet members. In 3279, he was succeeded by Alina Delarosa as Prime Minister. After the end of his tenure, he left politics and moved to Kien, Hulstria, where he had bought a house. He neither got involved in politics throughout the rest of his life nor visited his homeland anymore. He died in Kien in 3331. Political Positions Gutierrez was a libertarian hardliner and minarchist. He believed that the only role of the state is to protect the freedom of its citizens. In terms of economy, he endorsed unregulated markets free of governmental interference. He also favored low taxes and low spending, combined with a strong private sector. He was socially liberal, having supported gay marriage and a pro-choice stance on abortion. He was very critical of religion, having called it an "illusion and drug" in one of his books. He once said that he would not ban religion, but heavily regulating its influence in society "to make sure that the principle of secularism is never undermined". Category:Dranian people Category:Libertarianism Category:Grand National Party (Dranland) politicians Category:GNP leaders Category:Philosophers